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ADDRESS 

before the 

ASSOCIATION OF OLDEST 
INHABITANTS 

in memory of 

HENRY AUGUSTUS WILLARD 

by his son 
HENRY KELLOGG WILLARD 




AE/nORIAL ADDRESS 

IN HONOR OP 

HENRY AUGUSTUS WILLARD 



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6 



At a meeting of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants on 
Wednesday, September 4, 1913, Judge C. S. Bundy presiding, 
the portrait of Henry A. Willard, presented by his son, was 
accepted by the presiding officer, speaking substantially as 
follows : 

"Since this Hall, as now remodelled, is itself a memorial of 
filial love and duty, where else but on its walls could this 
portrait of Henry A. Willard be so fittingly placed? And 
where else but here, and in this presence, could this splendid 
tribute to the memory of a father be uttered with so much 
earnestness and such telling effect? Surely, we honor our- 
selves and this Association in honoring the memory of our 
fellow-member, the late Henry A. Willard. 

In the name, and on behalf of this Association, this portrait 
is accepted, and the donor is assured that it will fill a con- 
spicuous place on these walls, and be guarded with jealous 
care as a perpetual reminder of both father and son." 

My father, Henry Augustus Willard, son of Joseph Willard 
and Susan Dorr Clapp, his wife, was born in Westminster, 
Vermont, on May 14, 1822. He was one of eight children, 
seven of whom lived to mature age, and was the third son and 
one of five brothers, all of whom were at one time located in 
Washington. The other members of the family were Edwin 
Dorr Willard, born 1818, who died in Brooklyn, New York, 
in 1863. He was, at one time, associated with my father in 
the hotel business in "Willard's Hotel" and formerly kept the 
National Hotel in this city. At the time of his death, he was 
a Paymaster in the Army. The second of the family, Joseph 
Clapp Willard, was in active business with my father from 
1853 to 1861, in the keeping of Willard's Hotel, and was. 
at the time of his death, January, 1897, sole owner of the 
Willard Hotel property. 

My father was the third member of the family. He was 
followed by two sisters — Mary Ann Willard, later Mrs. George 
E. Howe, of Brattleboro, Vermont, who died in North Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts, in 1905, and Susan Dorr Willard, later 
Mrs. George M. Dickinson, of Charlestown, New Hampshire, 
who died in Washington, December 18, 1907. 



2 

The sixth member of the family, Mr. C. Stevens Willard, 
who was employed by my father at one time in Washington, 
was a farmer in his native town of Westminster, where he 
died in April, 1906. The youngest of the family, the late 
Caleb Clapp Willard, was the owner of the Ebbitt House and 
the Adams Building, and one of the largest owners not only of 
"F" Street real estate, but one of the largest owners of realty 
in the entire city of Washington. He was born at Westmin- 
ster, Vermont, in August, 1834, and died in Atlantic City, 
where he had gone to seek restoration of health, August 
2, 1905. 

My grandfather Willard was a New England farmer of 
thrift, industry and integrity, but a man of very limited means, 
and all the children, at an early age, were taught the necessity 
of earning their own livelihood. On this account, my father's 
opportunity for securing an education was of necessity very 
limited. When a boy, he attended Walpole Academy, which 
was fully three miles distant from his father's home in West- 
minster, and he was obliged to walk both to and from school 
even in the severest weather, except for the rare instances 
when he received a "lift," as they say, from an accommodating 
traveller. 

When my father was about sixteen or seventeen, he was 
obliged to leave Walpole Academy to earn his living. His 
father secured for him a position of general utility, or all- 
around man or clerk, in a Mr. Baxter's store in Bellows Falls, 
Vermont. This was considered a very good opening for a 
boy of his age, and he availed himself of the opportunity 
offered and, by his ability, became very useful to his employer 
and a most efficient clerk. One day, after he had been some 
months in the store, the son of his employer, young Baxter, 
who was a very supercilious, overbearing young man, 
demanded of him in a most peremptory and exasperating 
manner that he black his boots. This my father politely, but 
positively, declined to do; but he immediately went to his 
employer, Mr. Baxter, Sr., and said: "I give up my job and 
resign from your store." This his employer regretted very 
much, because the young man had become most essential to 
him in carrying on the business. However, my father was 



determined, and this little incident of his refusing to black 
young Baxter's boots was one of the turning points in his 
career. It was, perhaps, a fortunate incident for him. 

Immediately my father secured a position as a night clerk 
in Chase's Hotel in Brattleboro. This was a position requiring 
hard work and great endurance; for it was necessary to sit 
up the greater portion of the night, to be on hand when the 
stages (for it was then before the day of railroads) arrived 
and departed, to welcome incoming and see to the departure 
of the outgoing guests. After being employed for some time 
in this position, my father, at the suggestion of his brother 
Joseph, then working in a hotel in Troy, New York, came to 
Troy and secured a position as steward on the Steamer 
Niagara, of the New York & Troy Hudson River Steamboat 
Line. This was a very important position for a young man 
to fill; but my father improved every opportunity and soon 
merited the regard and fullest confidence of the managers of 
the line, not only of the steamboat company, but of wealthy 
citizens of Troy. He was entrusted with the duty of carry- 
ing money from the Banks in Troy to the banks in New York 
City, and I have often heard him say that when his boat 
would arrive late at night, it was a perilous and dangerous 
undertaking for him, a young man, to transport the money 
from the steamer to the banks. Not caring to keep the money 
in his state-room over night, he would often, when the boat 
arrived at a very late hour, go immediately to the banking 
house. At that hour of night, the clerks at the bank, who 
slept upstairs, would not come down and open the doors, not 
deeming it safe, but would, at a signal from him, let down a 
rope to the end of which a small pail was attached, and 
into this the packages of money and coin were deposited by my 
father; these would be pulled up by the clerk and taken into 
his window. My father was always very anxious that this 
money should be transported safely, and it can be said of him 
that not a dollar was lost. I remember his saying once that 
he was, very late at night, walking up Broadway on his way to 
the St. Nicholas Hotel, when, out of a dark side-street, two 
thugs appeared a few feet behind him and called out : "Hello, 
young fellow, stop that !" He did not reply, but started to run 



as fast as he could, and he said that he ran so rapidly you 
could have put a dollar on his coat-tails, they stood out so 
straight. He sprinted so fast that he out-distanced his pur- 
suers and reached the St. Nicholas Hotel safely; but his 
swift run up Broadway that night was one of terror. 

The first money which my father really earned outside of 
his salary — and he always alluded to this with a great deal of 
pride — was about $2,000 which he made in a library venture 
on the boat. The plan of having a library originated with him 
and immediately took with the travellers, who were wealthy 
Troy and New York .people. He bought the recent and best 
novels and periodicals of the day and rented them out to the 
steamboat travellers at good rates. 

While he was on the Steamer Niagara, of the New York & 
Troy Hudson River Line, my father met Miss Phoebe Warren, 
a very pretty daughter of one of Troy's most exclusive and 
best families. She was the fiancee of the late Mr. Benjamin 
Ogle Tayloe, of Washington, D. C, whom she afterward 
married. Mr. Tayloe was the owner of the old "City Hotel," 
at the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, which 
was in a very much run-down condition, and he had had 
great trouble in having it properly managed. He happened to 
remark to his fiancee, Miss Warren, that he wished he could 
find a suitable young man to take hold of the property. Miss 
Warren immediately answered: "Mr. Tayloe, I know just 
the young man you want — Henry Willard, the steward of this 
line." So it happened that my father came to Washington in 
October, 1847, first leasing Mr. Tayloe's hotel property and 
soon afterwards purchasing the same. I know that he felt a 
good deal of anxiety lest he should be unable to make the full 
payment on the property; but he had the good advice and 
assurance of an influential friend, Mr. John Payne, one of 
Troy's wealthiest citizens, and was encouraged to go ahead. 
So it was that, in October, 1847, my father founded "Willard's 
Hotel." He was the first of the Willard brothers, or, as he 
expressed it, "the original Jacob," to come to Washington. 
He started all his other brothers in business, two of whom — 
Joseph and Caleb — were money-makers and amassed great 
fortunes. 



It is not generally, perhaps, understood that my father was 
the one who started those other two brothers on their careers 
to success, and this I desire to have perfectly understood ; they 
owed their start in life to him. At one time, when my Uncle 
Caleb was in need of money, my father loaned him $40,000 
without any security whatsoever. Many years after, when 
his career was at its height, my uncle paid this in full. 

When my father took over the old Willard Hotel property, 
it was known as the "City Hotel." It consisted of perhaps 
five or six old buildings fronting on Pennsylvania Avenue 
and 14th Street. These buildings my father joined together. 

My father was the sole proprietor and owner of the old 
Willard's Hotel from 1847, when it was founded, to 1853. In 
this latter year, my uncle Joseph returned from California 
without a dollar, and my father took him in as full half 
partner in the business, and half owner of the property, with- 
out his paying anything whatever for this privilege. He was 
made in every way an equal partner with my father. 

Soon other additions to the property were made, notably 
the property belonging to the late Col. James Kearney on the 
southwest corner of 14th and "F" Streets, N. W. This 
property, purchased by my father, consisted of the old Kearney 
mansion and a large garden adjoining the property of the 
Presbyterian Church. The latter piece of real estate they 
also bought, turning the church into a hall, known as the 
Willard Hall, which they connected with the hotel. The old 
Kearney house they demolished and, in its stead built, in 1858, 
a large six-story addition to Willard's Hotel. 

The eight years from 1853 to 1861 were years of prosperity 
for my father and his brother, in the keeping of Willard's 
Hotel. These were the days just preceding the Civil War and 
included the outbreak of that war, and, during this time, they 
made money rapidly. My father attended to the practical 
management of the hotel, while my uncle Joseph had charge 
of the books and the office. It used to be said of the latter 
that he could charge a man a good, round sum and yet do it 
in such a way that one not only would not take offence at the 



6 

size of the bill, but would feel perfectly satisfied with it. The 
hardest part of the work fell upon my father, however. In 
those days, hotel keeping was very different from what it is 
now, and, at three o'clock almost every morning, my father 
would be called to go down to the Center Market, where he 
would personally buy his provisions and supplies for the hotel. 
Then, at the meal hours, especially at the dinner hour, my 
father presided over the carving table in the ante-room, and 
personally did the carving. In this way, he saw to it that no 
waste occurred. 

There were many notable dinners and functions during my 
father's active management of Willard's Hotel. The Willard 
brothers, at the completion of the remodelling of the hotel, 
with its new additions, gave a splendid banquet. My father 
felt that he wpuld be called upon to make a speech at this 
banquet, which he believed would be very difficult for him to 
do. He was nervously embarrassed at the prospect; but he 
had a friend in the Hon. Edward Everett, who was a guest at 
the hotel, and who calmed his fears by saying: "Willard, 
don't you give yourself any concern about the matter. When 
you are called upon to speak, just get up and make your 
acknowledgments and leave the rest to me." So Mr. Everett 
responded eloquently to the toast which was given, relieving 
my father of all embarrassment in the matter. 

Many notable personages were guests at the hotel, among 
them being the first Japanese Embassy which ever came to 
America, and Jenny Lind, when she made her first concert 
tour of America; in fact, her first concert in Washington, 
which was held at the National Theater, was under the man- 
agement of my father's eldest brother, Edwin Dorr Willard. 
Lord and Lady Napier were also guests at the hotel, and there 
was a dinner given in honor of Lord Napier which was one 
of the most noted, if not the most famous, that had been given 
in Washington up to that date. Dion Boucicault, the famous 
comedian, was also one of the noted guests at the hotel. 

During the last days of President Buchanan's administra- 
tion and the early days of President Lincoln's first adminis- 
tration, which were stormy times for Washington, soldiers 
were constantly coming and going. I well remember my 



father saying how a regiment of soldiers would arrive from the 
field very late at night or early in the morning, and they would 
march out to the inner court of the hotel, where there was a 
fountain of clear crystal water, and refresh themselves by 
washing their dusty hands and faces. 

My father was particularly kind and considerate to the 
soldier boys, especially those who came from his native state, 
Vermont. As an example of this : Two Vermont soldiers — 
young lads of about twenty or twenty-five, by the names of 
Ellis and Fairbrother — died on the battlefield. My father 
obtained permission to go through the lines and secure their 
bodies. At their own expense, he and my uncle had the 
remains of these two lads taken to Westminster, Vermont, and 
paid for their burial in the cemetery of their native town. 

During the stormy war times, the Willard Hotel caught fire 
on several occasions. I remember once, when there was a 
slight fire in one of the upper stories, one of the guests rushed 
downstairs to my father, who was in the inner office at the 
time, and said in an excited manner : "Mr. Willard, the hotel is 
on fire ! Where is it ! Where is it !" My father, in a very 
calm way, rang for the bell-boy and said : "John, will you 
take the gentleman upstairs and show him the fire?" 

The most serious fire occurrred in the early part of 1861. 
At this period the Owen House property, which was leased by 
my father and his brother and connected with the hotel as a 
part of the Willard Hotel proper, was seriously damaged, for 
the blaze was most obstinate. It was extinguished only after 
heroic efforts by the Ellsworth Zouaves, who were fire-fighters. 

By far the most notable guest in Willard's Hotel during my 
father's and uncle's management was President-elect Abraham 
Lincoln. The feeling between the North and the South was 
so bitter at that time in Washington and the surrounding 
country was so largely inhabited by those who were Southern 
sympathizers that President Lincoln's journey from Illinois to 
Washington, or, at least, the latter part of it, was fraught with 
great hazard. Most of you remember that he travelled 
through Baltimore secretly and in disguise and, very late at 
night, reached Washington, where he was driven directly to 
Willard's Hotel, entering the hotel by the side entrance on 



14th Street, where my father received and welcomed him as 
his guest. He was accompanied by his private secretary and 
particular friend, Col. Ward Lamon. 

When Mr. Lincoln first arrived, he found that his slippers 
had been overlooked, and he greatly needed a pair. My father 
had none large enough, for Mr. Lincoln had a very large foot. 
Nor did my father know of any slippers of adequate size in 
the hotel. He happened to think, however, of a pair of slippers 
belonging to my great-grandfather, Hon. William C. Bradley, 
who was a guest of my parents in their private home across 
the street; for they then lived in a double brick house which 
they had purchased on the site where the Willard build- 
ing, now occupied by the Department of Labor, stands. 
My great-grandparent was most delighted to loan his slip- 
pers to such a distinguished personage; for he was a great 
admirer of President Lincoln, and, as he had a good, large 
foot, the slippers were found to fit Mr. Lincoln well. The 
President wore them for quite a while and, when they were 
returned, wrote a handsome note of thanks to my grandfather. 
On the back of one of those slippers my grandfather, in his 
own handwriting, made a correct transcript of the incident, 
and the slippers have come down as a precious heirloom to me. 

At a later date, my father purchased of Col. Lamon, Presi- 
dent Lincoln's spyglass, and it is also one of my cherished 
possessions. 

At one time during the Civil War, the Union Flag on the 
top of Willard's Hotel was the only Union Flag flying on any 
building, except the Government Buildings, in the District of 
Columbia. Those who strongly sympathized with the Southern 
cause came to my father and demanded that the flag be taken 
down, even using threatening language to enforce their demand. 
He positively refused to yield. I want to say, and I say this in 
no spirit of fulsome flattery, that I think that incident made 
my father a hero of whom the town of Westminster, where 
he was born, as well as the National Capital, where he re- 
sided so many years, should be proud, for in reply to their 
threats he said, very firmly: "No, that flag shall not come 
down." And the flag remained there. 



My father was a member of a committee of one hundred 
to look after order and suppress riots in Washington. In 
July, 1861, up to which time he had led a very active business 
life and felt the need for rest, he retired from active business, 
he and my uncle leasing the hotel property to Sikes Chadwick 
& Company who kept the hotel quite successfully and made a 
great deal of money, although, I believe one, if not both mem- 
bers of the firm, died in poverty. 

In 1863, my father, at the suggestion of his intimate friend, 
Mr. George Clark, of New York City, went to Hudson, New 
York, and purchased a farm about a mile from that city. 
This he held for two years. It was really intended as a sum- 
mer home only; but my mother and I remained there quite 
late in the fall and even until the early winter. At the end 
of this period we removed to Washington and boarded for 
a time at the old Speiden House which was located on "F" 
Street, N. W., and which was west of the Winder Building. 
My father then purchased a place on Allen Street in the city 
of Hudson where we lived the greater part of two years. 
In 1867, however, this latter place was sold and, in 1868, we 
came as a family to Washington again, where we remained 
continuously, except for summer vacations, during the re- 
mainder of my parents' lives. 

Perhaps it is well here to speak of the different homes we 
had in Washington. My father first brought my mother, as 
a bride, in November, 1855, to a house on "K" Street, opposite 
Franklin Square, located on the site where the last home of 
the late Senator John Sherman, of Ohio, now stands. This 
property was owned by a Mr. Smoot who had some diffi- 
culty in completing it, and my father purchased it in an 
unfinished state. After living here awhile, he found 
that this home was too far from his business, as his active 
work in the management of Willard's Hotel required his being 
up very early in the morning and often necessitated his work- 
ing until late at night, so that the coming and going back and 
forth from "F" to "K" Streets, was too much of a tax upon 
his strength. My parents therefore removed to the old Willard 
Hotel proper, where I was born, October 20, 1856. 



10 

A few years later, my father purchased three brick houses 
on the east side of 14th Street, where the Willard building, 
occupied by the Department of Labor, now stands. Two of 
these houses he remodeled into a double house and my first 
remembrance of it, as a child, was that it was an attractive and 
lovely home, as any home over which my mother presided 
would be. Our next-door neighbor on the east was Secretary 
of War Edwin M. Stanton. 

About 1868 my father built the house No. 1337 "K" Street, 
N. W., where we lived for several years. Hon. George M. 
Robeson, who was then Secretary of the Navy, was very anxious 
to secure this place as his residence, and my father, at his 
instance, rather reluctantly rented the same to him about 1871 
or early in 1872, going to board with my uncle Caleb who was 
then keeping the Ebbitt House; but, after boarding for six 
weeks, although we were surrounded with every comfort, my 
father again longed for his own home. 

Adjoining the Robeson House was a double lot on "K" Street, 
of fifty feet frontage by one hundred forty-seven in depth, 
which was connected with the Robeson House as a garden. 
I can remember how fine were the grapes, pears and other 
fruits which were grown in this beautiful spot. My father 
built half of his present home on the east portion of this 
garden, completing the same in 1873. This was his home 
for the last thirty-six years of his life. 

In 1893 my father erected a substantial addition to this 
home, taking in the other part of this original garden and 
thus making the present double house which was our Wash- 
ington home for so many years and is my Washington home 
today. Here, my parents, who were of a generous, whole- 
souled nature, dispensed a charming hospitality. 

We were a most united family of three. From this house 
I went to my marriage in 1901, and in this home two of my 
children were born and two of my children baptized. In this 
home my dear mother passed on to life eternal in the early 
morning of November 3, 1909. 

In 1880 my father went, at the suggestion of some friends, to 
Nantucket, Massachusetts, and in 1881 purchased an old 
house on Orange Street near the Unitarian Church. This 



11 

house was built in 1723, and here my parents and I passed 
our summers for nearly thirty years. 

I believe I might divide my father's life into the following 
periods : First, his early home life : — He was, as a boy, a most 
affectionate and dutiful son. In his early boyhood he was of 
great assistance to his father in helping manage and carry on 
the farm. He was always willing to do any work that his 
parents asked of him and to do the household chores such as 
always fall to the lot of sturdy New England farmer boys. In 
this way, not only did he help to support the family, but by 
his untiring industry, laid the foundation of a character which, 
in later years, made him a most noble and whole-souled man. 
After he had established himself in business, he paid up most 
if not all of the mortgage on his father's farm. 

Next, I should speak of my father's married and home life. 
This was ideal. He was not only a most devoted and loving 
husband, but also a most generous and kind-hearted father. 
From my earliest recollection, he and my mother in their 
Washington home always dispensed generous hospitality. The 
latch string of welcome was always out to rich and poor alike 
and to the stranger within the gates. This was exemplified 
when many of his friends and even those whom he did not 
know well came from Vermont to Washington in the early 
days of the war. My father's home on 14th Street, opposite 
the hotel, was invariably filled with relations and guests, and 
he did everything to make his friends welcome and happy. 

Prior to his marriage, when he first came to Washington, 
he attended St. John's Episcopal Church, at the time when 
Dr. Pyne was the rector there. Although never a communi- 
cant of that church, my father was a regular attendant at 
St. John's whenever his business duties would permit and 
many years ago purchased Pew No. 80. Because of my 
mother's interest in the Unitarian Faith, however, he became 
interested in that church and was glad to attend the services 
with her. 

In the early seventies, the pastor of the old Unitarian 
Church was Rev. Frederick Hinckley and, with him as pastor, 
the church finally dwindled in numbers and became hopelessly 
involved in debt. Many became dissatisfied with him and the 



12 

result was that a new society — the present All Souls' — was 
formed. My parents were the chief organizers and sup- 
porters of this new Society, its first meetings being held in the 
parlor of our "K" Street home about 1873. Then my father 
hired, at his own expense, the old Willard Hall, and here the 
new society worshipped for quite awhile. 

My father asked the Reverend Dr. Henry W. Bellows to 
come from New York and help, by his preaching, to start the 
new society, but as Dr. Bellows could not do this he sent his 
son, Rev. Russell N. Bellows, a most efficient organizer, and 
he put the society on a good foundation. He was its first 
pastor and spent much of his time at my parents' home. In 
fact, our house was really the parsonage of the new All Souls' 
Society; for there were many visiting ministers who came to 
preach during the winter months and most, if not all, of these 
were entertained by my parents in our "K" Street home. The 
late Mr. William C. Murdock read the service and conducted 
the first religious meetings of this new society in the parlor of 
our home. 

At last, the remnant of the old society said to the Trustees 
of the new All Souls' that, if we would pay their debts, we 
might take their church. The result of this was that my 
father, who was chairman of the Board of Trustees of the 
new society, succeeded in selling the old church property to 
the District Government for a police court at the price of a 
little over $19,000. It was then decided to build a new church. 
My father was made chairman of the Building Committee 
and it was due to his efforts, aided by the late Rev. R. R. Ship- 
pen, that the present All Souls' Church was erected. To the 
approximate $20,000 which the new society received from 
the sale of the old church property, he succeeded, in addition 
to his own subscription, in raising approximately $15,000 more. 
This made a total of $35,000. Through the efforts of the 
Rev. Dr. R. R. Shippen another $35,000 was raised through 
the American Unitarian Association of Boston, $10,000 of 
this coming from the Winn fund. The present building and 
site on 14th and "L" Streets cost about $70,000. 

Just prior to the building of the new church I was a student 
at Yale College, New Haven, and my father, while on a visit 



13 

to me there, happened to pass by the Davenport Congrega- 
tional Church on Worcester Square in that City. Both the 
exterior and the interior of the church pleased him greatly and 
he secured the services of its architect, the late Mr. R. G. 
Russell, who became the architect of the new church. My 
father put his heart and soul into the work. Indeed, if it had 
not been for him, the present church edifice would not have 
been erected; for the Boston Unitarian Association, through 
its then president, Mr. Henry P. Kidder, declined to advance 
one dollar of the $35,000 which they had agreed to pay, until 
the $35,000, raised as above stated by the sale of the old church 
property and by individual subscription, had been paid in 
full so that the church proper could be dedicated free of debt. 
My father asked the Unitarian Association : "What guarantee 
do you want that the $35,000 which I have agreed to raise 
shall be raised? Will my own Government Bonds, left with 
you as a pledge, satisfy you?" The reply was that this would 
be satisfactory and he actually deposited his own Government 
Bonds with the Unitarian Association until every penny of the 
$35,000 which was to be raised in Washington was actually 
raised. The present All Souls' Church was built under my 
father's personal direction and by the late Robert I. Fleming, 
the site having been purchased by my father and sold to the 
Trustees of All Souls' Church without any profit on his part. 

The corner-stone of the new church was laid by the Masonic 
Fraternity in June, 1877, my father, as chairman of the Board 
of Trustees, supervising the preparation of the contents of 
the corner-stone box. The church edifice is filled with beauti- 
ful memorial windows and mural tablets. 

My mother not only assisted in the church fairs and festi- 
vals with a generous hand, but did a large part of the sewing 
and the making, with her own hands, of the first church 
carpet. 

Pew No. 19, which my father first selected, is still occupied 
by my family. 

Some six weeks prior to my mother's death, a letter was re- 
ceived from one of the Trustees of the Church, making the 
first suggestion to us of a movement for a new church and 
requesting a contribution. This suggestion of disposing of the 



14 

beautiful church building greatly distressed both of my parents 
and they sincerely hoped that the present church, as was the 
intention of its founders, would always remain a permanent 
home of Unitarian worship in our National Capital. 

Soon after my parents' death, I installed two of the most 
beautiful windows in the church and a mural tablet to their 
memories. It is a source not only of disappointment and re- 
gret, but of the keenest sorrow that the present beautiful 
church edifice, which could not have been built, except for the 
substantial aid given by my father, and which was built under 
his personal supervision and according to his plans, could not 
remain as a perpetual memorial to him. This church should 
be preserved the same as the Old South Church and King's 
Chapel are in Boston, not only in memory of my father, but 
because here was preached probably the last sermon of the 
late Rev. Edward Everett Hale and to him, also, the building 
should be held in sacred memory. This movement for a new 
church should not involve the demolition of this beautiful 
memorial. However, of the original families who composed 
the congregation in 1878, when the church was dedicated, the 
representatives of barely ten are left; so the protest of this 
small minority availed naught and, in a few; months, this 
lovely building will be sold and demolished for commercial 
purposes. 

I am one of the small minority who desire this present 
church to stand, although the majority have decided that a new 
church shall be built on Sixteenth Street. 

Before concluding the mention of my father's connection 
with All Souls' Church, let me say that, with two ministers, 
the late Rev. R. R. Shippen, who was pastor of the parish 
for about fourteen years, from 1881 to 1895, and Rev. Brad- 
ford Leavitt, now of San Francisco, who was pastor of the 
church for three years, from 1897 to 1900, my parents en- 
joyed a most intimate personal friendship. Both were fre- 
quent visitors at our home, and Mr. Leavitt always lunched 
with us, informally, once a week. 

My parents not only had no heart in, but did not approve 
of the new church movement, and I trust that I may be per- 



15 

mitted to transfer the windows to a proposed Memorial Chapel 
near their last resting-place in Westminster, Vermont. 

Although All Souls' Church will, in the course of a few 
months or a few years at most, be, to my sorrow, sold and 
demolished for business purposes, I am glad to feel that Gar- 
field Hospital will have on its grounds a perpetual memorial 
to my parents in the form of the new Henry A. Willard 
Memorial Building which, on the fourteenth of May, 1912 
(the ninetieth anniversary of my father's birthday), was, with 
appropriate exercises, dedicated. My parents both helped 
to found and were active workers in this Hospital until 
their health began to fail. Even until the last, they main- 
tained a personal interest in the welfare of this charitable in- 
stitution. With Mr. Justice Samuel F. Miller, Mr. Reginald 
Fendall, Mr. J. Ormond Wilson and a few others, my father 
was, as I have said, one of the organizers of this noble charity. 
He was not only a member of the Board of Trustees, but, at 
the time of his death, Vice-President ; and my mother was one 
of the founders and early supporters of the Ladies' Aid Asso- 
ciation of the Garfield Hospital and, for many years, chairman 
of the committee which purchased its household supplies. 

In connection with this charity, my father was, with the late 
Mr. Justice Miller, on the committee to secure a site. 
Finally, the decision lay between two locations, viz., the Co- 
lumbian College grounds at Fourteenth and Euclid Streets, 
on a part of which the home of the late Mr. Justice Harlan 
now stands, and the present site, which was the home of the 
late Mr. Christian Schneider. When the late Mr. Thomas G. 
Fisher, who had the Schneider property for sale, took my 
father and Judge Miller out to view it, Judge Miller said: 
"There is no question in my mind; this is the site for me." 
My father answered that if the hospital did not want it he 
would buy it on his own account. I believe the hospital 
made a fortunate and judicious selection. 

In this connection I desire to pay my tribute of respect to 
my father's friend, the late Mr. Justice John M. Harlan, who, 
as President of the Board of Trustees, directed the early con- 
struction of the Henry A. Willard Memorial Building, the 
completion of which was made possible through my mother's 



16 

forethought and generosity. Judge Harlan's work in regard 
to the hospital was untiring and self-sacrificing, and it is 
greatly to be regretted that he could not have lived to see 
the building completed in memory of his friend. 

Of my father's public life I would say that, as a friend of 
the late Governor Shepherd, he was in the early seventies 
prevailed upon to become associated with Governor Shep- 
herd as a member of the Board of Public Works. He was 
later vice-president of this board, Governor Shepherd being 
president. He was thus actively associated with the late 
Governor Shepherd in building the new and modern Wash- 
ington and in transforming the old city into the present beau- 
tiful one. Through the courtesy of Dr. William Tindall, 
Secretary to the Board of Commissioners of the District of 
Columbia, I have obtained a statement of the official services 
of my father in the city of Washington. The municipal rec- 
ords, Dr. Tindall tells me, show that my father was : 

1. A member of the Board of Health of the city of Wash- 
ington, D. C, by appointment of Mayor Sayles J. Bowen, 
from June, 1869, until June, 1871, from the Second Ward of 
that city. 

2. A member of the Board of Health of the District of 
Columbia, appointed March 15, 1871, by President U. S. 
Grant, and was elected treasurer of that Board April 13, 1871, 
but declined to act in either capacity. 

3. A member of the Board of Public Works of the District 
of Columbia, by appointment of President U. S. Grant, from 
May 22, 1873, until June 20, 1874, and vice-president of that 
board from September 13, 1873, until the abolition of that 
board by the Act of Congress of June 20, 1874. 

4. One of the three assessors appointed by the Board of 
Temporary Commissioners of the District of Columbia, Aug- 
ust 8, 1874, under Section 4 of the Act of June 20, 1874, 
creating the temporary commission government for the Dis- 
trict of Columbia, as an expert in property values, to revise 
the assessment of real and personal property in the District 
of Columbia. 

5. One of the Assessors appointed to condemn the land and 
improvements purchased by the Government in condemnation 
proceedings as a site for the new Congressional Library. 



17 

When my father came to Washington in 1847, the city was 
a small, unkempt and for the most part unpaved, municipality 
of scarcely forty thousand inhabitants. He lived to see it the 
most beautiful city in America, with a population of over 
three hundred and twenty thousand. It was a source of 
pride and joy to him that he could have been associated with 
his friend, Governor Shepherd, in this transforming process. 
While a member of the Board of Public Works, the parking 
system was under the special direction and supervision of my 
father. Prior to the municipal government of the Board of 
Public Works, under the old city government of a mayor and 
a common council, cattle of every description, even including 
hogs, were allowed to roam at large through the city streets 
and to browse and burrow in unoccupied and unfenced prop- 
erty. I can remember, when I was a little boy of seven or 
eight, being afraid to go to school because forced to pass near 
cows which I imagined were of a vicious character. About 
the time the Board of Public Works was established, or soon 
thereafter, my father met Senator Edmonds, then Sen- 
ator from the State of Vermont, and now a resident of 
Pasadena, Cal., in the market one morning. The Senator 
was in a very angry mood, and exclaimed: "Willard, I am 
going to introduce a bill to have the Capital removed !" My 
father expressed his surprise when Senator Edmonds told 
him that he had just had the front of his residence on Massa- 
chusetts Avenue nicely put in order, with the grass mown and 
hedges trimmed when, the night before, an old sow, roaming 
the streets at large, had entered through an unlatched gate 
and during the night had burrowed through the entire yard, 
making it a scene of utmost destruction. Then the Senator 
added: "If laws of this kind prevail in your municipal gov- 
ernment here it is time that the Capital be moved, and I am 
in favor of it." My father protested, saying that if Congress 
would only pass an effective law there would be no need of 
this radical change. Senator Edmonds answered: "Mr. 
Willard, if you will have prepared the proper bill for prevent- 
ing animals from running at large in this place, I will see to 
it that it is introduced and passed in Congress." The result 



18 

the stringent laws prohibiting cattle from roving the streets 
of Washington at large. 

My father laid out the first city parks on "K" Street, ex- 
tending from Ninth to Seventeenth, and superintended the 
first planting of trees in that park. This parking system, 
which was first started in "K" Street, was the beginning of 
the extensive parking system which has contributed so largely 
to the great beauty and attractiveness of our National Capital. 

After Governor Shepherd had done the greater part of his 
work came the unfortunate investigation by Congress and 
later his financial embarrassment. As a result of the investi- 
gation, Governor Shepherd and all the members of the 
Board of Public Works came out with a clean sheet. 

With the abolishment of the Board of Public Works, my 
father's public life in Washington ceased, but not so his active 
business career. Before touching on this, however, let me 
say here that, as Governor Shepherd's staunch friend, my 
father, in his time of need, responded quickly to his appeal 
for assistance, and at the meeting of the creditors he was 
the first to insist that Governor Shepherd should have all the 
time he wanted to make good his debts. Prior to this my 
father had helped Governor Shepherd in his financial em- 
barrassment. 

For sixteen years my father was president of the Columbia 
Railway, from 1873 to 1889, when by reason of ill health he 
resigned. This was when the Columbia Railway was a one- 
horse affair ; but under his management it became a two- 
horse system and the road was entirely relaid with double 
tracks. This was before the days of electricity. 

In 1867 my father was one of the organizers of the National 
Savings Bank and became its first president. With this bank 
he was associated for forty-two years as a stockholder of con- 
siderable amount and as one of its trustees and directors. 
He was also vice-president of the National Metropolitan 
Bank for many years, during the presidency of the late John 
W. Thompson, Esq., and in the growth of both these institu- 
tions he assisted much by his personal influence and sub- 
stantial aid. 



19 

I graduated from the Columbian Law School in 1881, after 
having graduated from Yale two years previous. Soon I 
discovered that my taste was for a business career and not for 
the practice of law. My father, therefore, turned to a friend, 
Mr. B. H. Warner, saying : "Can you not secure a place for 
Harry in your real estate office?" Mr. Warner replied that 
he could do better than that, as there had been talk of organ- 
izing a new insurance company. The result of this conversa- 
tion was that my father became one of the founders of the Co- 
lumbia Fire Insurance Company on my account. He was made 
its president and I its secretary for nearly eleven years, from 
its organization in June, 1881, until the company moved its 
office from the Kellogg Building in January, 1892. On my 
account, although past fifty-nine years of age, my father put 
his whole soul into the work, and during his management no 
insurance company in the District probably had a better rec- 
ord for business prosperity than the Columbia. During the 
eleven years above stated the stock of the company arose 
from five dollars a share to nearly eighteen dollars a share, 
and beginning with a capital of $100,000 we left the company 
with a surplus of $125,000. It was a source of keen regret to 
my father that his successors in the management should have 
seen fit to have dissolved the company, when of such good 
standing. 

My father was also interested in the American Security and 
Trust Company, and was one of its early stockholders and a 
member of its board of trustees until the time of his death. 
He was also a member of the board of trustees of the Equita- 
ble Life Insurance Company and, for some time, of the old 
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, being thus 
actively engaged in many growing local interests up to and 
long past his eightieth birthday. 

My father was of most kindly and charitable disposition, 
and to many of the poor people he liberally gave charity with 
his right hand, of which his left knew nothing, and this was 
always in a most unassuming and unostentatious manner. 
No deserving person ever was turned away from his door. 
I well remember how once, through one of the public chari- 
ties, he ascertained the name and home of a very poor colored 



20 

family on Capitol Hill. He personally visited them, that he 
might assure himself that the facts, as stated, were true. He 
found that they were in dire need and helped them with a 
liberal supply of food, fuel and other necessities. This is 
only one of his personal acts of kindness and generosity; 
however, they are more in number than I can remember 
or relate. 

The birth of the first grandchild, my elder son, which oc- 
curred in my parents' home on "K" Street on September 20, 
1902, gave infinite delight to my father. He was the first one 
to hold the baby in his arms and to wrap him in his nice warm 
blanket. It was an additional joy to have this baby bear my 
father's name. When the little fellow was not quite four 
months old he was taken desperately ill with double pneu- 
monia. On this occasion my parents' anxiety and solicitude 
knew no bounds and his recovery gave them both unmeas- 
ured joy. Except for a few weeks the baby always remained 
an inmate of my parents' home. They could not bear to part 
with him, and their home was his until they passed away. 

My father was a great collector of autograph letters. It 
was his recreation to make valuable collections, and he had 
in his possession the autographs of all the signers of the 
Declaration of Independence, with the exception of one. He 
was also a great lover of music, although not an actual mu- 
sician, and fond of fine paintings and statuary. The walls of 
his "K" Street home are adorned with many exquisite scenes. 

My father's health began to fail when he was about eighty 
years of age, when he was afflicted with cataracts on both 
eyes ; but, notwithstanding this he kept in active touch with 
all his business interests, going daily to his office until past 
eighty-seven. After his eightieth birthday he erected no less 
than seven buildings, which I think was quite remarkable for 
one of his years ; they included the new Willard Building on 
the site of our old home on Fourteenth Street, next adjoining 
the Ebbitt House and now occupied by the Department of 
Labor; the Occidental, next to the New Willard Hotel, and 
the new addition to the Kellogg Building, at 1422 "F" Street; 
also three dwellings in the northeast section of the city and a 
brick house, No. 1320 "L" Street, Northwest. 



21 

In already enfeebled health he survived my dear mother 
only by one short month. Grief for the loss of the dear wife 
and helpmate hastened his end. On Thursday, December 2, 
when my mother's body was laid in her last resting place, my 
father attended the ceremony and, two days later, he gently 
and peacefully passed to life eternal. 

My parents' lives were so closely interwoven one with the 
other that a sketch of the life of one would not be complete 
without a brief mention of the dear wife and mother, who 
was so much to both my father and myself. 

My mother, Sarah Bradley Kellogg, was born in Saxton's 
River, Vermont, on August 17, 1831, the daughter of Judge 
Daniel Kellogg and Merab Ann Bradley, his wife. My 
grandfather Kellogg was one of the judges for a long time of 
the Supreme Court of the State of Vermont. Previous to 
his going on the bench he had a good legal practice in the 
village of Saxton's River. 

When a mere infant of nine months, my grandparents 
brought my mother to my great grandparents' home in West- 
minster and left the baby there for a space of time. During 
their absence she so endeared herself to the hearts of her 
grandparents, Hon. William C. Bradley and Sarah Richards 
Bradley, his wife, that they could not bear to part with the 
little one, and so postponed her homecoming indefinitely. 
The result was that my mother from that time made her home 
there and was reared by her grandparents in Westminster, 
Vermont, until the date of her marriage, at the age of twenty- 
four, on November 6, 1855. She was reared in all the essen- 
tials of good New England housewifery ; for my great grand- 
mother was an excellent cook, and my mother, at an early 
age, became skilled in the culinary art. Besides doing the 
many domestic duties of the household and caring for her 
grandparents, she was likewise taught to sew and was given 
the advantages of the best educational facilities the town 
afforded. When a young lady of the age of sixteen or seven- 
teen, she spent some time with her aunt, Mrs. Susan Dorr 
Bradley, of Brattleboro, Vermont, and there became a stu- 
dent in a young ladies' school, of which the master was Rev. 
Addison Brown, ably assisted by his wife. 



22 

My great-grandmother Bradley was a Unitarian in belief 
and my mother's aunt was also a loyal Unitarian; so it was 
that, both by heredity and environment, my mother naturally 
embraced the Unitarian faith, which she subsequently by 
inclination and by study, joined. Before going to Brattle- 
boro my mother had attended the Unitarian Church in Wal- 
pole, New Hampshire. 

When my father brought her as a bride to Washington, in 
November, 1855, he was actively engaged as proprietor and 
half owner of the old Willard Hotel. Without repeating 
what I have already said in the brief sketch of my father's 
life, I would add that my mother soon became actively en- 
gaged in the work of the old Unitarian Church, which was 
then located on the corner of Sixth and "D" Streets, North- 
west, and remained a member of that congregation until the 
new All Souls' Church Society was formed, of which both she 
and my father were among the principal founders, he having 
withdrawn from the Episcopal church soon after my baptism 
to attend the Unitarian services with her. 

In all the phases of my dear mother's life — her home, 
charitable and religious life — she exemplified the highest type 
of American womanhood. With my mother it was not only 
a duty but a pleasure to cheerfully and promptly accede to 
every wish expressed by my father. She even was anxious 
and always on the alert to anticipate his every wish. Hers 
was a broad and generous nature, self-sacrificing always for 
the sake of her husband and her son. 

During her long life in Washington she was identified with 
many charities of a public character. She, with my father, 
was for a long time interested in the Columbia Hospital for 
Women at the time when their friend, Dr. P. J. Murphy, was 
physician in charge; they were also associated on the board 
of the Industrial Home School ; but of all the charities none 
commanded their special interest as much as Garfield Hos- 
pital, of which they were among the founders. It is a special 
satisfaction to me that the Henry A. Willard Memorial Build- 
ing which was suggested by my dear mother and provided for 
in her will should be built and her wishes carried out, to pro- 



23 

mote the welfare of this institution in which both she and my 
father had so much heart. 

Of the fifty-four years of my parents' happy married life, 
thirty-six were spent in the "K" Street home, which is sacred 
to me by so many hallowed associations. 

My mother was not only the devoted wife, but a most 
skillful nurse, and by her tender and faithful ministrations 
brought my father and myself through many periods of 
critical illness. My mother was well versed in Latin and 
French and was of invaluable assistance to me in my studies 
when at Emerson Institute, going over the lessons day by 
day, not only in Latin and French, but in other branches. 
During my six years' absence in New Haven — two years at 
the Hopkins Grammar School and four years at Yale College — 
my mother wrote me daily, encouraging me in my scholastic 
work, and but for her kindly encouragement I should never 
have succeeded in completing the college course and securing 
my degree. I treasure among my most priceless mementos 
these letters, which I have carefully kept and intend to be- 
queath to my sons. 

In the summer of 1882 at our summer home in Nantucket, 
Massachusetts, I recovered under my dear mother's care from 
a long and serious illness. My father was several times criti- 
cally ill, once with typhoid, when his life was despaired of, and 
he always felt that his restoration to life was due to his wife. 

When a distinguished oculist, just before my father's 
eightieth birthday, told my mother that my father was af- 
fected with cataracts on both eyes, my mother's sorrow was 
intense, and from that moment I noticed that her health 
slowly but surely and steadily began to fail. With the slowly 
diminishing eyesight on my father's part came increased fee- 
bleness, followed by a fall on his office steps, which caused 
him great pain and restless nights. My mother watched over 
him most tenderly, so much so that from loss of sleep and 
over-exertion, she suffered an acute paralytic stroke in 1906. 
From this, after a long illness, she rallied and was later able 
to go about her household duties almost with former energy. 

My father and mother were very hospitable and were al- 
ways glad to entertain their friends most generously. Fol- 



24 

lowing the reception given to members of the Grand Army of 
Vermont and their families, on the occasion of their making 
an excursion to Washington under the leadership of Col. 
Henry O. Clark and the late Mr. Marsh, my mother was 
again stricken on November 1, 1908, this time very seriously, 
and for a year she remained an invalid. However, she 
bore her suffering, which I am sure at times must have been 
acute, with a sunny, cheerful disposition. Not a word of 
complaint or murmuring ever escaped her lips. Indeed, dur- 
ing her whole life she never spoke a cross word to a living 
being. During the last summer of her life she was really 
unable to make the journey to her Nantucket summer home, 
but putting self entirely aside (she never thought of self), as 
she knew it would be for the benefit of my father, my elder 
boy (who made his home with his grandparents) and myself, 
she undertook the trip, and even visited Walpole, New Hamp- 
shire, and her old home in Westminster, Vermont, returning 
to Washington late in September. During October she was 
able to be wheeled in a chair on several calm sunny days. 

Early on the morning of November 3, 1909, just after the 
hour of midnight, she passed gently and quietly on to the life 
eternal. Her leaving us at the last was very sudden. 

In the old cemetery in Westminster, Vermont, my dear 
parents are lying side by side, near my mother's old home 
and the home of her great grand-parents which I have re- 
stored as a memorial to her. Of all the memorials to my 
dear parents, none holds a greater interest for me than this 
home where she spent her unmarried life, where her marriage 
took place, and where fifty-six years later my wife and I cele- 
brated the tenth anniversary of our marriage. On this occa- 
sion the Association of Oldest Inhabitants of the District of 
Columbia sent me a beautiful silver Loving Cup by its Secre- 
tary, my friend, Mr. Benjamin Reiss, who made the trip to 
Vermont especially for this purpose. I was most pleasantly 
surprised by such a beautiful tribute of affectionate regard 
and my appreciation and gratitude are beyond words to 
express. 

Mr. John B. McCarthy, the Corresponding Secretary of the 
Association, followed with these remarks: 



25 

"We have listened to a splendid tribute this evening, paid by 
a splendid son, to the memory of a splendid father and mother. 

"The most of us knew Henry A. Willard for the sixty years 
he resided in our city, and we can endorse almost every word 
that has been uttered by our personal knowledge. There is 
no denying that he was a wonderful factor in our city and 
national life. For many years the three great attractions of the 
Nation's Capital were the White House, the Capitol and 
Willard's Hotel. Willard's Hotel was great because Henry 
A. Willard made it great. The transplanting of him to this 
city made him great. 

"All of us concur with Judge Bundy in his views and im- 
pressions as to the beautiful illustration of the loyalty, devo- 
tion and love of the son in what he has said. We who have 
sons and grandsons are particularly affected by this devotion, 
and we sincerely applaud it, and with this concurrence we add 
the hope that our sons will be as loyal to our memories. This 
feature of the address is, to me, the most beautiful part of it, 
and it is for this that we sincerely appreciate it. It touches 
us with its sentiment and filial affection. 

"It pleases us, too, because it reduces to record some of the 
great events of our city, so that they can be read by those who 
are to follow us, by those who have not personally experienced 
many of the things and incidents related. It will be a cher- 
ished record, recording as it does so much of our city's his- 
tory, and having the approval of this Association. It is per- 
forming the duty for which the Association was organized. 

"As chairman of the hall committee, I assure you all that the 
portrait of Mr. Willard will have an appropriate hanging, feel- 
ing, as I do, that it is one of our most valuable possessions." 



lU.llath 

1822—1909 

He hails from the Green Mountain State, 

Whose peaks rise bold and high 
To test the power of storm and fate 

And kiss the star-lit sky. 

Vermont on every field of war 

Has battled for the free, 
As true as yonder Polar star 

For God and Liberty. 

Fair Freedom shines upon her hills 

And beauty fills her vales, 
Where leaps the trout in rushing rills 

And honor never fails. 

Her sons and daughters long ago, 

Migrated south and west; 
Brought knowledge to each friend afar, 

And worked for all the best. 

They built the City and the State 

As pioneers of might, 
And marched among the good and great 

In every freedom figjit. 

The Willard clan for seventy years 

Has loved grand Washington; 
Progressing without doubt or fear, 

From rise to set of sun. 

And now our host at eighty-seven, 

Is but a youthful boy, 
Whose hopes are centered in high heaven 

Without a base alloy. 

So here's to Willard, in each glass, 

Good health and love and cheer, 
And may his glory never pass, 

But grow from year to year! 

— John A. Joyce. 



